


Neon Hearts

by orphan_account



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alcohol, Alternate Universe - College/University, College AU, Drug Use, Future NSFW content, Genderfluid Character, M/M, Partying, Pining, Rave, Slow Build, Social Anxiety, for all your yakulev needs, levyaku - Freeform, side bokuaka, side kiyoyachi, side kuroken, side tsukkiyama, so many sides wow, yakulev - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-22
Updated: 2015-03-23
Packaged: 2018-03-18 16:27:45
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 13,944
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3576120
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/orphan_account
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Yaku Morisuke had a plan– go to university, get his degree, then get out– but he hadn't anticipated being sidetracked by a 6'4" whirlwind by the name of Haiba Lev.</p><p>Between a gigantic kid deciding that they're now best friends, and a horny roommate who just can't take a hint from a certain socially-anxious someone, Yaku finds himself being sidetracked slightly, but maybe it's just  what he needs.</p><p>Or, a college AU jam-packed full of awkward moments, bad hangovers, and all of my favourite losers being as gay as humanly possible. You're welcome.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hi guys! It's been a while since I attempted a chapter fic, so please excuse me if I'm a little rusty. For future reference, this fic will have nsfw content, so please be warned. I'll leave the rest to my note at the end, so please enjoy chapter 1!

 

“Yaku. Yaku-san. Morisuke. Yaku Morisuke. Mori-chan–”

“ _Don't_ call me that, Kuroo.”

Yaku Morisuke; twenty years old, college student, avid volleyball player, and part-time trash-cat babysitter. Pulling his earphones from his ears and cringing as they began to ring from the sudden silence of the room, he swiveled around in his desk chair and gave his roommate the most 'bothered old man' look he had. Kuroo, upon seeing the bitter scowl, grimaced, but soon bounced back with a sly grin of his own.

“Aww, don't be like that darling. So is that a yes then? You'll go?”

Yaku stared at him blankly, and wondered if there really was no brain underneath all that hair.

“Kuroo, you do realize that when the earphones are in, I _can't_ hear you, don't you?”

He was lying of course. Despite having _Girls Generation_ on at full blast (although he would never tell a soul about his guilty pleasure), the noise still wasn't enough to drown out the incessant babbling of the large man behind him. He couldn't bother himself with trying to decipher Kuroo's words over the music, though.

“The _party_ , asshole-kun. That guy I was telling you about is finally gonna go, and I need you to be Uncle Kuroo's wingman for the night.”

Yaku pulled a face of disgust. “Don't call yourself that, you perv. And why don't you just drag Bokuto along, instead of hassling me about it.”

This time it was Kuroo's turn to look disgusted. “Hell no. Ever since he shacked up with prettyboy-kun, all he wants to talk about is his gross-ass relationship. He was supposed to be my bro. Now you have to be my bro. So you're coming to the rave.”

Yaku leaned back in his chair and folded his arms, tucking his chewed-up pen behind his ears. “As much as I feel a steamy bromance blossoming between us Kuroo, I've got this exam on Monday, and I don't have nearly enough prep-work done. Perhaps you should start getting serious about your work too, so you don't have to drop out and live on the streets with the rest of the strays.”

Kuroo scrunched his nose up and stuck his tongue out playfully, but took his seat perched on top of Yaku's coursework, indicating that he was not yet finished his argument pitch.

“Okay but consider this:” he held his hands out dramatically in pause, and Yaku waited for the drop. “Be a bro.”

Yaku rolled his eyes so far back into his head that everything went black for a second, and got ready to put his earphones back in. “I'm not going to a party in some dingy warehouse when I should be studying, just so you can get laid, Kuroo.”

“But you like parties!” the walking bedhead exclaimed while using large hand gestures. “C'mon, this might be a good opportunity to shake off that uptight impression people have of you.”

Yaku was about to deny yet again, when he heard the last part of the remark. “Wait, who thinks I'm uptight?”

Kuroo managed to pull the smirk from his face for long enough to seem vaguely sincere. “Everyone will soon if you don't change your game pace, Yaku.”

He mulled it over for a few moments, panning out the possibilities. He'd exaggerated when he said he was unprepared for the exam– Yaku was always prepared. It was what he was known for. But maybe it wouldn't kill him to let loose a little, and have some fun with his friends for one night. Then he'd have the rest of the weekend to study. He shook his head and sighed in defeat.

“My mother warned me about peer pressurers like you.”

Kuroo hopped up, hands raised above his head in impending victory, eyes filled with satisfied glee. “So you'll come?”

“I guess. But if I wake up hungover I'm not cooking for you ever again.”

Just as Kuroo was a child, Yaku was his intolerant, fed-up mother, who made nutritious meals and forced him to study before big exams. Although part of him enjoyed the responsibility of taking charge of someone so helpless, he hoped that whoever Kuroo ended up dating in the future would finally take him off his hands. Because unlike a mother, he was often dragged into antics himself— some of which he enjoyed, and some of which he didn't. And as if tough-as-nails college work wasn't enough, he didn't need a 20 year old man-child persuading him to get drunk on school nights.

He somehow manages to slip out of Kuroo's grasp and avoid his embrace of gratitude. No matter how much he protested, the fact remained the same, that he was a fucking good wingman.

 

 

* * *

 

 

Once Yaku realized that he wasn't gonna get anymore work done with Kuroo around, he got up and went for a jog. As someone who played volleyball on the college's team, he wasn't the most... _physically suitable_. In other words, he was really fucking short. But it was a burden he had to bear, and running every day helped build up muscle power and stamina, which almost made up for his unfortunate height. His route consisted of four laps of the campus, followed by a run outside and around the town. He liked to leave his headphones at home, to enjoy his surroundings. Today, he wished he had brought them.

He stretched before leaving, and as he left the dorm building and broke out into a slow jog, he noticed someone watching him. His vision was a little shaky from running, but he didn't stop. The person, who looked bigger than his fucking dorm building, upon noticing him looking back, walked straight on, colliding with the bench in front of him. Yaku heard a yelp from the guy as his long, lanky limbs got tangled up in the park bench, and he face-planted the ground. Yaku snorted to himself, clearing his mind of the situation a few moments later, and jogging on. 

When he returned, he went to the communal showers to wash off the sweat beading his skin, and then back to his dorm, where he collapsed face-first onto his bed in exhaustion, as of always. Kuroo, who spent his afternoons lazing around and being an absolutely useless member of society, grinned at him bemusedly.

“Yaku, oh dear friend of mine. I've been thinking–”

“Shouldn't do that–”

“I've been thinking, and we should get you laid.”

Yaku raised his eyebrows as if he was judging Kuroo, and he really was. “What do you mean _we_? I don't need you to hold my hand and guide me through it. I can fuck someone on my own, thanks.”

“I'm just sayin' man. How long has it been?” Kuroo said with that lazy tone that Yaku just didn't like. He picked up a pillow and launched it at his face at full power, with full intention to injure him.

Kuroo, also being a volleyball player on his team, dodged it in one swift movement, and flung another back in it's place. It hit him in the chest and he growled.

“Leave my sex-life _alone_ , Tetsurou. It's none of your business.”

“It is if you're gonna be so grouchy about it.” he grumbled. “You're probably gonna have the room to yourself tomorrow night too, so knock yourself out.”

“Don't get cocky, just assuming that he's gonna wanna fuck you. I don't why he would. Actually, are you sure he's okay in the head?” at this point it was playful, and Kuroo grinned devilishly.

“I don't know, Yaku _darling_ , what were _you_ thinking when _you_ did it?”

Yaku gagged and screwed his face up in disgust. “That you're not as good in bed as you think you are.”

Yaku didn't think that something that happened once in first year with no strings attached could be used against him so much, and yet here he was, because the man-child had zero shame. It wasn't like in the movies, where they were friends with benefits, but soon fell in love with each other. They'd given each other sloppy handjobs once after a drunken night out, although where Yaku thought they'd never have to talk about it again, he was sorely mistaken.

“Fuck you, I've been told I'm ace.” he hopped up, making an old man noise as his knees cracked. “I'm gonna go stock up on more chips.”

“There's like, two bags in the cabinet.”

“Ate 'em.” came the reply, along with the slam of the door.

Yaku sighed and rolled to face the wall, shutting his eyes without bothering to turn the light off. He could fall asleep now, but Kuroo would be back soon, larger than life, and as loud as fucking ever. He opened them again, and stared at the ugly cream wall in front of him. The B-dorm building of Nekoma University was the shitty one, where the kids who just about afforded tuition went. The beds were uncomfortable (not to mention in the same room) and the curtains were the colour of puke. He'd been to his friend Suga's A-dorm once, and that was when he'd learned about the inequalities between social standings. Kuroo told him not to get so pissy over a pair of curtains.

His eyes began to drift shut again. He didn't care that it was barely 10 pm, or that Kuroo wasn't back yet. He plugged his earphones in and began to play his music quietly as he drifted off to sleep.

 

* * *

 

 

 

Yaku really came to hate the sound of Marimba when he began using it as his alarm clock. He awoke on Friday to the annoying music and a pillow being flung at him from across the room because Kuroo didn't have class that early. His phone read 9:30, and he groaned and dragged himself out of bed for his Women's Studies class at 10. He didn't really mind, because it was a class he'd always enjoyed, mostly because their were minimal guys in his class, making it easier to get work done. Unlike the rest of them, who probably signed up because it sounded easy, he was interested in the course because his entire life had been influenced by strong women.

His mother, who'd raised both him and his sister by herself, and who had worked herself to the point of exhaustion trying to send them both to college. His older sister, who had taught him everything he knew about volleyball, and always stuck up for him when he was picked on for being tiny. His great aunt, who was actually a huge bitch and used to purposefully call him by his sister's name, which prepared him for the harsh reality of the real world. He'd received many a curious look on his first day going in, but he soon became acquainted with most of the girls in his class.

He arrived a few minutes before the lecture was due to start, and got his stationary out while he chatted to Shimizu Kiyoko, the girl he always sat next to. She was beautiful; the kind of person that made you feel good about yourself, just because you talked to her.

“Oh hey, are you going to the rave tonight?” he brought up, flicking his notes open, as the professor was running late.

“Yeah, me and my girlfriend are going.” she nodded. “ I've been to a party at the place before, though, and it's quite shifty-looking. I wouldn't leave a drink down for a second there.”

Yaku scrunched his nose up his nose and scribbled a pen on a blank sheet, checking if there was any ink left. There was.

“Really? I wasn't too keen on it either, but the trash king Kuroo himself insisted I be his wingman for the night.”

Kiyoko chuckled quietly, and leaned forward while the girl in front of her asked her for a pen. When she settled back into her seat, Yaku spoke up again. “How is Yachi, by the way? The last time I saw her she was drunk and worried that your...fans, or something, were coming for her.”

Kiyoko laughed a little louder at that, and a blush rose to her cheeks. A few people stared at the beautiful sight, and Yaku could see how fond she was of the small blonde.

“Yeah, she gets a bit paranoid when she's had a bit too much to drink.”

At that moment, the professor arrived, and Yaku smiled and nodded, turning around in his seat while she set up her power point. She began her lesson, and while she was talking about some empress–he couldn't recall the details– something caught his eye. Near the front row, there was a man that towered over everyone else in his row. He'd probably seen him a ton of times before, as they were clearly in the same class, but today, he was sure he recognized him for a different reason. The back of his head was a silvery-white, and his head tilted to one side, probably asleep, when it hit him.

This was the guy he'd seen fall on his face the other day. He smirked at the memory. It always amused him to no end, seeing people failing at simple tasks, such as: walking without falling over. Silver-hair didn't hold his attention for too long, though, as he realized that it would be in his best interest to actually listen to the lecturer. _It's not my fault if he actually is asleep_ , he thought, before returning his eyes to the notes he was taking.

He was majoring in Japanese literature, however there were other things that had interested him, like Gender & Sexuality, Creative Writing, and one strange cooking course in his first year, where the teacher had broken down and cried about her ex right there, in front of the class. Yeah, he didn't keep that one up.

As the lecture came to a close, he took down the deadline date for a paper, and gathered all of his notes together.

“See you tonight, Kiyoko-san.” he said to the bespectacled girl beside him, making his way down the steps.

He noticed a few of the other guys in the class turning to look at him enviously, and bit down a smug smile; he was bisexual, but he had a preference to guys anyway. Besides, he didn't have much luck with the ladies, considering that he was shorter than the majority of them.

When he got back to the dorms, he figured he'd get a run in before Kuroo dragged his ass home to get ready. His roommate was the sort to want to go for pre-cocktail party cocktails, which always meant being ready to leave 5 hours in advance. He did his usual circuit today, not seeing anything, or anyone particularly strange, and reminded himself of his promise to Kuroo not to 'mom' anyone tonight. He would see, under the circumstance. 

 

* * *

 

  

The rave, as it turned out, was being held in a place that some _crackheads_ would probably look down upon. It was being held by some guy at their university, who apparently thought the best place to hold a party was at an old warehouse on the outskirts of town. However, walking in with Kuroo, Bokuto and Akaashi, Yaku _did_ have to give the place some credit- with all of the flashing lights and bright neon colours, it looked pretty trippy. Outside, there had been people passing luminous body paint around, decorating themselves with bright swirls and dots. Yaku had just about avoided a splash of green in his eye when Bokuto had thrusted a paint brush to his face, earning him a scolding from both him, and his boyfriend.

"Yaku dearest, lighten up." Kuroo, who was already tipsy, said, peering over his shoulder. "We're getting you a drink as soon as we get in." 

Once they were inside, Kuroo, as a man of his word, dragged him along to what seemed to be a bar, Bokuto and Akaashi in pursuit. It was almost hard to tell where they were standing, as the place was so jam-packed, but when Kuroo slid through the small crowd of people and arrived back with four small, purple liquid-filled glasses balanced in his arms, it was apparent.

"They're called _vipers._ " he called over the loud pulsing of dance music. "These ones are on me, boys. Drink up!"

"Thank you, Kuroo-san." Akaashi nodded curtly, before downing the class in one go, not even flinching. 

Bokuto gave a great whoop, before following the other, then wincing. "Jesus _christ_ , that's spicy!"

"I won't let Akaashi drink us under the table." Kuroo grinned devilishly, before taking a large swig of the drink, draining the glass and letting out an _ahh_  afterwards.

They all turned to look at Yaku expectantly, as he eyed up the purple liquid. It almost seemed to shimmer under the strobe lights from the dance floor, and he swirled it around in the cup a little. He wondered how much of the night he was going to remember if he took this. Kuroo seemed to notice his hesitancy, and nudged him on the shoulder.

"Come on _mom,_ let your hair down. Just for tonight!"

"Yeah, Yaku-san, live a little!" Bokuto piped up, and he sighed.

He was going to end this uptight image people had of him. Just for tonight, he was going to act his age. He nodded, before bringing the glass to his lips, squeezing his eyes shut, and downing it in one go, as the other two cheered him on, and Akaashi gave him a rare smile of assurance. Just as he'd expected– it was disgusting.

It was all a blur of drink after drink after drink, after that. Yaku wasn't sure how many he'd actually bought, or how many were bought for him by friends, but all he knew was that he was having an amazing time. They'd met up with a tonne of other people from his university, including Kiyoko and Yachi. Once they had all cleared a table next to the bar, Yamamoto and his friend Tanaka had called for everyone's attention.

"Listen up _punks._ " the mowhawk had barked, trying his best to seem intimidating, when he really sounded dumb as fuck, considering he was drunk off his ass, and his words were slurring together. "We're playin' a drinking game."

" _Never have I ever_." The baldie confirmed, sounding just as stupid. "Who's in?"

They set up quickly after that, all of the participating party-goers cramming around one table, drinks in hand.

"Okay, rule time!" Yamamoto announced, grabbing everyone's attention once again. "You gotta ssay something you've never done, and anyone here who _has_ done it hass to take a drink. Try to be creative, ya hear?"

A chorus of ' _got it'_ s echoed back, and Yaku grinned to himself. Everyone seemed to be having so much fun, including him, and he was really letting loose. He hadn't even _thought_ about that stupid exam in an hour, because he was here with his friends, and he was kind of really drunk, and things were wonderful.

"Okay, never have I ever..." Tsukishima tapped his chin mischievously, then grinned, slightly scarily. "Fantasized about a professor."

 Yaku stifled laughter as Kuroo, Yamamto, Inuoka, Bokuto, and Tanaka all took a swig of their drinks.

 "Uh," Yamaguchi– even nervous while drunk– began, face turning bright red. "Never have I ever thought about cheating."

Yaku cringed, because he knew some of the people in the circle were dating each other, so when Yamamoto, Tanaka, and Kuroo all took drinks, his eyes widened and he shook his head in awe. Absolutely shameless. 

It was Inuoka's turn next, and Yaku braced himself. "Never have I ever... had sex while my parents were in the other room."

They all grinned at the game level being cranked up, and Yaku saw Hinata, Kageyama, Nishinoya, a bashful Asahi, and Ennoshita, that dog, take a drink.

"Never have I ever had sex in a public place." Nishinoya chirped, and everyone turned to stare at fucking _Suga_ whotook a drink, along with Daichi, but Yaku took no notice because _Suga._

As it turned out, his silver-haired friend was quite the dark horse, because they were well into the game now, and he'd already drank to more things than anyone in their right mind would admit to.

"Never have I ever had sex in a classroom." Kiyoko and a smiley drunk Yachi drank to that.

"Never have I ever taken someones virginity." This time it was Hinata, Kageyama, Tsukishima, Yaku himself, and Kuroo.

"Never have I ever fucked someone of the same gender." said Tanaka at some point, and pretty much everyone drank to that, apart from Yamamoto and Ennoshita, who were the two token straight people of the group, and then Tsukishima and Yamaguchi, because Yamaguchi didn't really classify as his gender. 

The game started to come to a close when Kuroo glanced at the time on his phone and hopped up. "Right, well I'm off to find that guy I was telling you about." he grinned devilishly, and left without another word.

"Huh? What guy?" Hinata queried, but as Kuroo was already gone, he turned to Yaku, as if he was the next best thing.

"Kuroo's latest bang. Or so he hopes." he answered diligently. "He won't give us a name though."

"Oh well, my drink's empty anyway." Tsukishima, who'd begun to look quite bored said, standing up. "Come on, Yamaguchi."

"Right!" Yamaguchi agreed, even though their drink was still half full, but followed their boyfriend away from the table and into the crowd of people, regardless.

They did have a point actually. As his group of friends began to disperse, Yaku decided to venture to the dance floor, as he hadn't been there yet. Squeezing his way through the crowds, he spotted some faces from school that he knew, but didn't really _know._ The pulsating of the music and the flash of lights only heightened the effect of the alcohol on him, and he smiled happily to himself, swaying along to the intoxicating rhythm. There were people touching him on all sides, as the area was so crowded, so when he spotted an opening in the sardine can of people, he made for it. As he stepped into the small circle with no one in it, he thought he'd gotten lucky, however he managed to dodge last minute, as a hand came swinging towards his face, seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hey, watch it!" he scowled, but was suddenly taken aback at the sight he was greeted with.  
  
The man who had almost just decapitated him with one of his swinging arms, was wearing bright, neon coloured clothes, and had streaks of neon green paint all down his arms and legs. He was wearing about ten thousand glow-bracelets, and even a few of the necklaces. He was like a giant, dangerous, flashing beacon of light.  
  
Yaku recognised the head of silver hair as the one that belonged to the guy that always slept at the front of his women's studies class, and the guy he'd seen trip over a bench one morning. He wasn't doing himself any favours now, either.  
  
Up close, the guy was fucking huge. A literal giant, which would have been intimidating, only for the fact that he was pretty lanky, as well as dancing around wildly, endless arms and legs flailing around in all directions. Yaku stared in horror at the atrocity, while others around him just stared and snickered. The guy himself had his eyes shut and a large, peaceful smile on his face—which was red, and pretty sweaty, making Yaku crinkle his nose slightly.  
  
Spotting Inuoka nearby, he made his way over to him, still keeping his eyes on the crazy dancing man as he spoke.  
  
"What's with him?"  
  
From the looks of it, and the way he slung his arm around Yaku's shoulder, words slurring, Inuoka was probably already pretty drunk.    
  
"Oh! Yaku-ssan!" Inuoka belched a little, and Yaku crinkled his nose in faint disgust. "Yeah, he's on ecstasy."  
  
That sentence alone was sobering enough, and Yaku's eyes widened in horror, shooting back to the silver-haired man again. He was on drugs? What kinda shifty place was this dump?  
  
" _Ectasy?!_ " he crowed, and Inuoka nodded his head, still smiling lazily.  
  
"I don't think he knowss he's on it, though, yaknow Yaku-ssan?"  
  
Yaku felt sick to his stomach. Even though the guy was really tall, he had a young face, and Yaku could tell that he was probably only a first year. What kind of monster would really slip him something without permission?  
  
"What do you _mean_ , Inuoka?"  
  
"I _mmean_ , Yaku-san, that I heard someone ssay that he didn't know what he was taking!"  
  
The smile was gone from Inuoka's face now, replaced by a look of deep reflection, as if he was only realizing now how fucked up what he was saying was. Yaku looked over at the guy uneasily, and sighed. He'd promised Kuroo he wasn't going to mom anyone tonight, but looking at the poor chap, who was now spinning in circles, hands straight above his head, he had to step in.  
  
"'Scuse me!" he called above the music, pushing through the crowd of onlookers again, and he was disgusted that they were all just laughing, instead of helping him.  
  
"Hey!" he yelled upon reaching the center of the crowd, leaning back to avoid getting hit in the face by an arm. "Are you okay?"  
  
The giant cracked an eye open, and both grew wide, a large smile blossoming on his face, although he didn't stop dancing, so he looked like a maniac.  
  
"Hey! I'm better than okay, I'm _amazing_! You're the guy from my lady class right? I'm Lev! You wanna dance with me?"  
  
Yaku was about to answer with an 'oh god please no' when he was grabbed by both hands and pulled in closer to the circle. That guy— _Lev_ , had clammy hands, and Yaku yanked them away, wiping them on his pants.  
  
"No– listen, I need you to come with me right now."  
  
"Whyyy?" Lev whined, still bopping up and down off-beat to the music. "I'm having so much fun!"  
  
"It's very important, so just trust me."  
  
"Okay!" Lev shouted a little too loudly, and some of the crowd began to boo as Yaku grabbed him by the arm and led him out of the crowd. Un-fucking-believable.  
  
"Hey, I'm really thirsty, can you get me water?" Lev bent down to yell in his ear, even though there weren't as many people there, and the music wasn't as loud.  
  
The tap water at the bar was free, but the bar tender began to get slightly irritated when Lev downed three pints in one go, although he drank so fast that a good amount of it failed to reach the inside of his mouth, and ended up spilling all down his shirt. After his third glass, he gasped for a large breath and turned to Yaku.  
  
"Can we go dance now? You seem like a pretty cool guy, thanks for the water! I couldn't find the bar and the lights make everything kinda wobbly, so—hey wait, what's your name?"  
  
"Uh, Yaku."  
  
"Okay, Yaku-san, can we go dance now?" Lev grabbed him by the hand with full intention to return back to the dance floor, when Yaku cut him off.  
  
"Listen, Lev, I need you to think for me. Did anyone give you anything tonight? Like maybe a drink, or a tablet, or—"  
  
"Umm, some guy gave me a mint earlier! Does that count?" Lev grinned, swaying to the music. "Although it wasn't very fresh."  
  
Yaku pinched the bridge of his nose, because _really, how dense was this guy?_  
  
"Do you know who it was?"  
  
"Uhmm." Lev scratched his head, squinting his eyes as if it would help him remember more clearly. "He had, like, pink sunglasses and green and pink paint all over his arms and face? I think? Why? Hey, we should get paint for _our_  faces, Yaku-san! That would be so festive!"   
  
"I need you to focus on me, Lev." Yaku said, ignoring the question and trying to capture his attention. "Is there anyone you know here? Like a close friend, or your roommate, or—"  
  
"My roommate Kenma-san is here! He's probably somewhere on his phone because he doesn't like to dance or talk to people, do you wanna go meet him? What's happening to my face?"  
  
Yaku was slightly worried because this "Kenma" character didn't sound too reliable, but it was all he had to work with, because Lev was staring downwards, cross-eyed as he clenched and unclenched his jaw, teeth grinding. He was already jigging up and down on the spot, and his hand was sweating profusely. Yaku sighed.  
  
"Okay, will you take me to him?"  
  
It took about 20 minutes of Lev dragging him through the crowd, getting distracted by random things and telling him how much he was going to love Kenma, until they actually spotted him.  
  
"Kenma-san!" Lev cried, free arm going up to wave, probably nearly hitting the ceiling. "This is my new friend, Yaku-san! He's really small, isn't he?"  
  
Yaku gritted his teeth and chose to ignore it, as Lev wasn't in his right mind, although he was quite sure that he was probably only slightly less hyperactive when he _was_. When Kenma looked up from his phone (Lev's prediction had been right), Yaku realised that he'd seen him around campus before. He was actually quite hard to miss, with blonde hair and dark brown roots, as well as a height only about an inch over his own. Yaku had no idea why Lev was mentioning _his_  height to someone like Kenma.  
  
"Very good, Lev." Kenma said, almost unheard over the pulsing of heavy music.  
  
"Listen– Kenma, right?" Yaku stepped forward, keeping his hand on Lev's hand in case he tried to escape back into the crowd. Kenma squinted at him suspiciously, and Yaku couldn't blame him.  
  
"My name's Yaku, and I need you to listen to me very carefully." he leaned in close enough for Lev not to hear, but not so close as to be weird and creep this stranger out. Yaku got the vibe that he wasn't the best in social situations. "Your friend Lev has been drugged with MDMA. Do you know what that is?"  
  
Kenma's eyes widened, and he only nodded, not saying a word.  
  
"Okay, I don't want you to tell him, because he could start to panic, but I need you to take him home straight away. It should take about 2-4 hours for the effects to wear off, so I'll need you to keep him at home until he passes out. Make sure he drinks lots of water, and keep him away from any police you see, got it?"  
  
Kenma opened his mouth to say something, but snapped it shut again, and Yaku wondered if maybe that information had been a bit too overwhelming.  
  
"That's _okay_ , isn't it? Do you want me to help out or anything?"  
  
"No, I'll manage." Kenma nodded. "Although it's a nuisance. I'm supposed to be waiting for someone."  
  
Before Yaku could answer, Kenma was pocketing his phone and dragging Lev away, who was calling a "See ya later, Yaku-san!"

It took Yaku all of three seconds to decide what to do next. Then, he made the decision to find the guy that drugged Lev, and call him out on some shit. He was really fired up now, and he really wanted to know what kind of sicko would give ecstasy to a _kid._

 _Pink glasses, green and pink paint. Pink glasses, green and pink paint._ The vague description Lev had given to him fueled him to keep searching. Suddenly, right in the middle of the dance floor, close to where Lev had been dancing, he spotted him. Or, well, someone of his description. The guy was indeed wearing pink novelty sunglasses and had neon pink and green paint in swirly patterns all down his arms and legs, and some on his face too. He didn't look too tall or tough, yet Yaku hesitated slightly before thinking _ah what the fuck, I'm drunk anyway_ , and marching over to him. 

"Hey!" he yelled, face pulled into a frown.

The guy turned to him, looking down at him, which only fueled the fire of Yaku's rage even more.

"Can I can help you?" the guy said, and he didn't look anything out of the ordinary, however just from his attitude, and the way he was looking at him, Yaku could tell he was a complete scumbag.

"I don't know. Did you give MDMA to a really tall guy with silver hair?"

Pink glasses squinted, looking momentarily confused, before having an epiphany, and smiling slightly.

"And what if I did?" the douche said deviously.

"Well then you're fucking _sick_." Yaku said through gritted teeth.

Pink glasses looked momentarily shocked, mouth forming an 'o' shape, but then his expression eased slightly, and he held his two hands up defensively.

"Look man, you seem really fired up there, but would you just chill for a second? It was only a joke!"

Yaku was almost stunned into silence, anger burning bright inside him. "A joke?"

"Yeah, I mean, have you seen that guy? He's in one of my classes, and let me tell you, that kid is hyper! We just wanted to see what he was like when he was tripping out, so we helped him out a little. You have to admit, he was funny right?"

This time, Yaku _was_ stunned into silence. He stared at the guy, who apparently thought this was all some big _joke,_ that it was _amusing_ that Lev could've gotten himself into huge trouble, or even badly hurt. He barely even _knew_ the kid, bar one or two incidences, but holy shit, that was _sick_. Then, he wasn't silent anymore. He was mad.

"It's not funny, it's fucking _illegal_." he growled, shoving the guy in front of him. _Hard_.

As the guy's eyes darkened, and he sized up to Yaku, he started contemplating what he'd done, and whether it was _really_ worth it or not. Pink glasses muttered a " _you're gonna regret that, shrimp"_ , and as a fist came hurtling towards Yaku's face at top speed, his only thought was

_'Yep. Totally worth it.'_

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Yaku gains his Friday night memories and runs into a vaguely familiar face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> first of all, this is up way later than i thought it was going to be, but ive been studying a lot for exams and stuff. it will probably be like this until summer, when i can write freely, so please forgive me.  
> secondly, thank you to people who commented, or gave me feedback on tumblr and twitter. i really appreciate it, and i look forward to hearing from you all in the future!  
> lastly, this chapter goes a bit deeper into character and family background, which im still working on how to write, so i apologise if details are a bit sloppy at the moment.  
> i think thats everything, so please enjoy this chapter!! ^.^
> 
> EDIT: i just remembered, theres a small injury and blood mention in this chapter, as well as mild violence, just in case anyone is uncomfortable with that!!

 

Yaku was woken up the next morning via the sunlight burning through his eyelids, even though he'd groaned and turned away from the window multiple times. A gentle breeze blew across his face, and Yaku's eyebrows furrowed in confusion. How many times had he told Kuroo to keep the windows closed in the morning? Especially when the weather was so warm. Even though summer was now over and the leaves were beginning to turn, the mid-october sun was still beating down, hot and heavy. Now the bugs were going to get in and he'd have to buy a spray. A bird began to chirp outside, and that was final straw.

Cracking an eyelid open, he realised in horror that the chirping wasn't coming from outside. _He_ was outside. He sat up immediately, and oh my god. It was happening again. He was surrounded by shrubbery, and his head was aching like fuck. _What the hell happened last night?_ He could barely remember a single thing, which was worrying, because he had just woken up in a bush belonging to what _seemed_ to be the park across from the campus, with smudged, streaky paint all down his limbs, and no shirt on. 

He heaved himself upright, the majority of his bones cracking in the process, and checked for balance. No, he wasn't so hungover that he needed to puke, which was good. He knew his shirt had to be around there somewhere, and eventually located it, dangling from a nearby branch. It was going to be ruined by the yellow paint on his arms, but right now he just needed to be in bed, so he didn't really care. 

Dragging himself out of the collection of bushes, his jeans got caught on a thorny branch, and he let out a grumble of pain as it scratched his leg. Squinting in the sunlight, Yaku began to trudge back to his dorm, doing his best to avoid being seen.

"Yaku-san!"

Ah, crap.

He swiveled around on his heels to meet a smiling and waving– quite enthusiastically– Suga. Yaku eyed him up and down, almost impressed. The silver-haired man's clothes were tattered and torn, and his hair was ruffled and sticking up in all directions, yet a large grin remained on his face. Yaku did his best to ignore the pair of shoes he was carrying in the hand that wasn't waving at him, and how he was only in his socks.

"Mornin' sunshine." he replied once he was in close range, and _oh my god_ his voice didn't even sound like his.

It was gruff and scratchy, like how his throat felt, not to mention how his mouth tasted like something had died in there. Suga screwed up his nose and hissed, eyes bright and playful.

"Ooh. Rough night?"

"Like I remember." Yaku found himself chuckling.

Suga was one of the people he got on the best with. Their conversations were light, and flowed easily, due to their similar sensible personalities, however Yaku lacked the saint-like patience Suga had for others. The other man laughed heartily, but winced slightly and placed two fingers to his temple. Huh. So even Mr. Refreshing could get shit-faced and hungover too.

"Fancy meeting you on the walk of shame, Yaku-san." the smile back back again, and this time is was knowing mischievous. 

"Well unless you count walking home from the bush you woke up in as a 'walk of shame'." he countered, but realized that it sounded ridiculous. "Actually, never mind, forget I said that. What about you, Suga-san? Before last night I had no idea what you got up to."

Suga scratched the back of his neck and smiled sheepishly at him. "Well if you usually got up to the stuff I do, Yaku, you'd already know I'm a regular here on Saturday mornings."

At that moment, Suga spotted a girl walking a different path into the dorms, shoes also in hand. "Morning Akane!" he called to her, and the girl, who's dress was so short that she waddled when she walked, smiled brightly at his friend and let go of the hem of her dress long enough to wave. "Good morning Sugawara-kun!"

Yaku shook his head in disbelief, but thought to himself that maybe Suga could help him recollect what had happened the night prior.

"Hey you didn't...see me last night, did you? Like, after we played that drinking game?"

Suga cocked his head in confusion. "Is that the last thing you remember?"

"Pretty much, yeah."

"Do you remember getting punched in the nose?"

"Yeah I– wait, _what?_ " Yaku brought a hand up to poke at his nose, and sure enough, it was sore to the touch, dry blood flaking off onto his fingers. How the hell did he miss _that?_

"Huh. I presumed you knew." Suga said in surprise, eyebrows shooting up. "It looks really painful."

"Yeah well, I guess the brutal headache was enough to drown it out." he deadpanned, still unable to figure out how, or why, he'd gotten punched in the face.

"Well listen," Suga reached out to pat him on the shoulder, "I gotta sneak in before my roommate starts to worry about me. God knows that he was home before 1. Anyway, have a good one, Yaku-san. Drink lots of water!"

"I will, thanks." he nodded in gratitude, before they went their separate ways, each in different dorm buildings. He only hoped the rest of his memories would come back with some sleep– or even just a meal. He hadn't realized how hungry he was, but now his stomach was growling aggressively. He sighed in resignation before making his way up the steps as fast as possible– there was no way was he getting seen again.

  

He'd tried to click the front door closed as quiet as possible, he really had, but Kuroo had hearing like a bat, and was on him like a moth to a flame as soon as the door shut.

"Oho? Only arriving home now, are we?"

Yaku looked him up and down for tell-tale signs. Kuroo was already dressed, despite it being a Saturday, and not only that, but his roommate was awake, even though it was only— he glanced at the clock— 7am, and although his roommate had the power to drink like a fish without recieving a single headache the next morning, his fresh clothes and the smell of breakfast wafting from the kitchen corner gave it away.

"Didn't get laid then?"

Kuroo's smirk immediately dropped, and was replaced by a frown.

"Here I am," he spun around, placing the back of his hand to his forehead melodramatically, "making _breakfast_  for us to have together, Yaku, but _no,_ you had to bring sex into it."

"Don't you always bring sex into it?" he muttered, pushing by the large man in the doorway to flop down onto the couch.

"I would _never."_ Kuroo scoffed, perching atop the arm of the sofa.

Yaku scowled, simply because it was his natural instinct in how to respond to basically anything Kuroo said. The bed-head rarely said anything intelligent or worth rewarding with a genuine smile, but Kuroo always knew when he had Yaku's full attention, which he resented quite a bit.

"So, do you know what happened last night? Do you remember it?" 

Kuroo's eyebrows furrowed and he scratched his mess of hair, mind processing. "Well I remember that you got into a fight with some dude. And then I found you and we got shit-faced."

"Why would I get into a fight though? Thats's so unlike me! Even when I _am_ drunk."  

Kuroo let his face relax into an easy expression, and he crossed his arms over his chest, body practically draped over the back of the sofa. "Listen dude, I'll explain after breakfast. Just get something into your stomach okay? You look like shit."

"Gee, thanks." he deadpanned, even though he did appreciate the sentiment. 

He couldn't argue against the wailing of his stomach as it cried out for the food cooking in the kitchen. Even if it _was_ the charred eggs and bacon that Kuroo was still mastering how to cook.

 

* * *

 

" _You're gonna regret that, shrimp_." 

Yaku squeezed his eyes shut last minute, just as a fist came hurtling towards his face. He heard a sickening _crunch_  as something hard connected with his nose, throwing him off balance and knocking him to the floor. People were jumping back and gasping at the two, and as he sat back and looked up at the dark figure looming over him, he felt something wet trickling from his nose. Was that... _blood?_

Getting back on his feet and wiping his nose with the back of his hand, he glared at the guy, stare fuelled by rage and humiliation. He didn't waste another second, a battle cry ripping from the back of his throat as he ran forward and lunged at the man. As the two of them were knocked to the ground, Yaku kneeling on his stomach, he raised his fist to swing a punch.

He'd really lost all control. _This_ was why he preferred not to get completely pissed– because when he'd had this much to drink, his emotions were always amplified by a thousand, which was generally dangerous for a number of reasons. 

He braced himself for the feeling of bone under his knuckled, but it never came. Instead, a pair of arms wrapped around his waist, and he was hoisted up into the air. He began to kick and splutter, trying to salvage his attack.

"H-hey! Who is th–"

"He's really sorry, guy. Don't break his face, you already have the advantage of height." 

" _Kuroo put me down!_ " he yelled, trying to kick at the taller mans shins. 

The taller man didn't budge, simply enduring his struggling, and hoisting him away from the guy whom he was _clearly_ winning against. This was utter _bullshit_.

"He's _unstable!_ " pink sunglasses warned his roommate, as if he wasn't the one who'd thrown the first punch. And the last. 

Without replying, Kuroo half-hoisted-half-dragged him out of the crowd until they were clear of people.

"Jesus _christ,_ Yaku," he suddenly burst into laughter, "I leave you alone for twenty minutes and you get into a fucking _bar-fight_?"

"If you'd just left me alone, I would have _won_ that bar-fight." He scowled, shaking Kuroo's sweaty palm from his arm. 

"Nah man, he would've murdered you. For reals."

"You didn't have to _apologise_ to him for me. I looked so _stupid_." He found his tone morphing into what sounded like a childish whine, more than anything. "Christ, I need another drink."

"Well it's a good thing I've been ditched, because now we can drown our sorrows in shitty alcohol together." Kuroo grinned a shark-like grin, and it sounded like a good plan to Yaku.

Well, it had _seemed_ that way at the time. It was all a blur of pulsating music and flashing lights, and Kuroo complaining about going to get a drink for his not-date, then coming back to find him gone. Yaku had been way too drunk to tell him to shut up, so he'd put up with the whining after taking shot after shot, each drop of mixed drinks delving him further and further into a walking daydream. 

He vaguely remembered becoming way too enthusiastic about the party, finding someone to decorate his arms in neon green swirls, and dancing with glowsticks until his short arms and legs almost gave out. Then, he and Kuroo had been split up, however where his roommate had actually arrived home, he'd clearly been sidetracked and decided to take a nap in some shrubbery. 

After his stomach was finally full, the snippets of information Kuroo had provided him with had helped trigger some memories from the night before, however he still could not recall how, or _why_ he'd gotten into a fight with a stranger. He eventually just put it to a drunken argument with someone that had gone too far, and left it at that. 

 

* * *

 

"So. Yaku."

"Y'know, Kuroo, we've been in this position before and it's never a good thing." Yaku deadpanned, jabbing his elbow into Kuroo's supporting arm, in vain attempt to push him from atop his desk.

It was later in the day now, and Yaku was once again trying to study, despite his pain-killers still having yet to kick in, and having a monstrous headache. Somehow, though, Kuroo seemed to be just fine. His roommate wobbled slightly, before gaining his balance again, and only spreading his weight further over the notes and papers that were lying on his desk.

"I need you to do me a favour." 

"The answer is no."

Kuroo groaned and finally released the tension in his muscles, sprawling all the way over the desk so that Yaku really couldn't avoid giving him the satisfaction of looking at him anymore.

"Really, Kuroo. Really? You are twenty years old. You are a grown ass man. Why must you act like a child having a temper tantrum whenever you don't get your own way?" 

Kuroo chuckled lowly and closed his eyes, stretching his arms over his head. Yaku winced as the sound of joints cracking reverberated through the mostly silent room. Then, he sighed, and pinched the bridge of his nose. Although Kuroo's personality was lethal when combined with his, they were still best friends. People often wondered why, as Yaku was always ticked off at him 90% of the time, but the truth was, they kept each other grounded. Kuroo had a habit of masking his affection for Yaku through smug remarks and constantly trying to annoy him, but Yaku knew that this was just the top layer of the bedhead, because then he went and did something like dragging him away from a drunken fight at a club, and making sure he got something to eat when he was hungover, which couldn't have been done selfishly. 

Yaku was the same, though, because even though he was sarcastic and way too mature for most of Kuroo's antics, he still wouldn't let his tall friend run into any trouble along the way– not if he could help it, anyway.

"Fine, what do you need?"

Kuroo's face erupted into a sly grin, and Yaku could already tell he was going to regret this.

"I need you to come on a friend-double-date with me tomorrow."

"Absolutely no–"

"Hear me out, okay?" Kuroo finally sat upright and raised his hands in self defence. "The guy I was telling you about–"

"The one who ditched you last night?"

"The very one. Well it just so happens that I managed to get his number from him from before he left–"

"Were you creepy about it?"

" _Anyway_ ,"he continued on, ignoring Yaku's snide remarks, "you know me, so I texted him asking what'd happened–"

"He didn't know who you were, did he."

" _Let me tell the story!_ " Kuroo's voice was almost a whine, although it wasn't the first time Yaku had seen him act this much like a kid.

"Sorry sorry, go on."

"Thank you. So I asked him if he had time to hang out again, and he was kinda unsure, so I suggested he hang out with me if it was in a group, and he said yes! So he's bringing someone, and I just need to bring someone. And that's you." 

"Bring Bokuto."

"Trust me, I already asked. Bokuto's busy."

"Then ask Tsukishima.

"Do you honestly think Tsukishima would–"

"Did you ask Daichi?"

"Daichi said he had literally anything else to do. C'mon Yaku, no one else wants to come hang out with me and this guy I wanna date. You're my last hope." he widened his eyes and stuck out his bottom lip in a way that was positively _terrifying_.

Terrifying enough to make Yaku feel _kinda_ sorry for him. It wasn't Kuroo's fault that he was destined to be alone forever due to his horrible, _horrible_ personality. He shut his eyes and exhaled.

"Okay fine, I'll do it." he finally said, and braced himself as he received a heavy clap on the shoulder.

"Atta boy." Kuroo grinned.

 _What have you gotten yourself into, you idiot?_ His inside voice was yelling at him. It was the same voice that scolded him for getting sucked into one of Kuroo's schemes, and the same voice that face-palmed every time they went wrong somehow. The truth was, he didn't know the answer to this question.

 

* * *

 

 

He still didn't know the answer on Sunday at lunch time, as he was being dragged to a coffee shop that was just outside campus. The place was nice, kind of minimalist, and the smell of coffee beans wafted through his nostrils as soon as they stepped through the door, which gave it a nice, homey feel.

"Kenma!" Kuroo called out to a small figure at the table closest to the back.  
  
_Had he heard that name before?_  Yeah, he definitely had. As they approached, a leering grin slid onto Kuroo's face. He really had to stop doing that when meeting new people. Yaku glanced back to the person in Kuroo's line of vision. His face was familiar, but he realised that he attended their university, so he was _bound_  to recognize him.  
  
The guy in question, looked quite small (still taller than him though, which stung). He had chin-length blonde hair, which Yaku guessed was dyed, because he had fairly visible dark roots on show. He was doing nothing in particular with his phone in front of him, and every now and again he would fidget with his hair, or bite at his lip. He looked just about as uncomfortable as Yaku felt in that situation.  
  
Yaku could see why he appealed to Kuroo so much, specifically because when he looked up at them, his expression fell blank, cat-like eyes analyzing both of their statures. He looked like a tough nut to crack, and Yaku knew that his roommate loved a challenge.  
  
"Yaku Morisuku, meet Kozume Kenma."  
  
"Nice to meet you, Kozume-san" he bowed politely, and the blonde only nodded in return, glancing over their shoulders, eyes showing traces of anxiety.  
  
"You don't need to bother with formalities." he said. "You can just call me Kenma if you want."  
  
"Well look at you two, already getting on." Kuroo said cheerfully, and Yaku almost cringed as he received a heavy clap on the shoulder. "Hey, wasn't your friend supposed to be coming too?"  
  
Kenma bit his lip and tucked his hair behind his ear. "Yeah, he's in the bathroom. He should be back any moment now."  
  
As if on queue, a tall, looming figure brushed by them, squeezing in behind Kenma's chair to sit by the window. "Sorry I took so long." he said, voice light and cheerful. "The line was long." Then his gaze fell upon Yaku and Kuroo, who were still standing. "Oh? Who's..."  
  
Just as Yaku returned the gaze, the wind caught in his throat. It's amazing, how one image, one simple human face, can trigger so many memories in such a short time. At that moment, it was as if everything had slowed down, and Yaku was bombarded with every piece of information he'd been curious about from Friday night.  
  
All caused by the person before him.  
  
The dance floor. Some guy drugging people for fun. Him being angry about it. Picking a fight with the guy with the sunglasses. He remembered now. It was all because of _someone_ –  
  
"This is Haiba Lev, my roommate."

 

  
He stood still for a moment, wide-eyed at the character before him. Haiba Lev had apparently introduced himself by first name the first time they met, however Yaku was all for formalities, so he wasn't going to call him by that. Haiba seemed to have already recognised him, before he had even caught Yaku's eye, and was now staring at him with a mix of surprise and embarrassment on his face.  
  
"Hi again, Yaku-san." he attempted at a grin, but when Yaku opened his mouth to reply, Kuroo was already interrupting.  
  
"Wait, you two _know each other?!_ "  
  
"Vaguely, yes." Yaku nodded, not even bothering to come up with some excuse, and deciding that that was a good time to pull out a chair and sit.  
  
He figured that Kuroo would want to sit opposite the guy he was interested in, and so he was left with no choice but to awkwardly plonk down in front of the actual giant on the other side of the table. Now that he was actually able to get a good luck at him minus the music and crowds and the influence of drugs, Yaku saw that Haiba Lev looked maybe older than he'd given credit for on Friday, but still pretty young, maybe 18 years old. He was quite handsome, but Yaku had a feeling that their personalities would clash, and so he decided to steer clear of that. Although he had to look up slightly to talk to him even when they were both sitting, which was tragic, he noticed that his hair was a silvery-white, and that his eyes were a striking green. It wasn't very common in a Japanese person to have green eyes, he thought, but it was possible. The hair couldn't be natural though.

"Haiba-san." he began, and Haiba's ears pricked up. "Forgive me for being so blunt, but I was wondering, is your hair natural?"

He cocked head in momentary confusion, but it looked as though the message was received, because his face morphed into a proud grin, and he puffed his chest out, making him look even larger.

"Don't worry, I get that a lot. Actually, I'm half Russian, on my mother's side, which is why I have light hair. Don't ask me to speak Russian though, because I don't have a word of it." his face fell slightly at that, but then he spoke up again. "Also, you can call me by first name if you want. Everyone just calls me Lev."

Yaku nodded politely. Lev did talk a lot, and even though he'd only asked one question, he'd received more than one answer, and now he wasn't sure what to say. 

"Oh. Okay." he said quietly, glancing over his shoulder, hoping a waitress would come any time soon. "So, uh, did you get home alright on Friday night?"

After saying this, he wondered if maybe it was a touchy subject with Lev, but an easy grin slid on to his face, eyes lighting up. His eyes were quite expressive, Yaku thought. Apart from their colour, just looking into them, he could tell Lev's whole mood.

"Yeah, thanks! Actually, without you I probably would have run into trouble or something. I remember everything really well, even though you'd think I wouldn't be able to. I kinda feel bad for Kenma having to drag me home though." 

Kuroo, who'd previously been in a mostly one-sided conversation with Kenma, paused and leaned over into their own conversation, a perplexed look on his face.

"Is that why you had to leave the other night, Kenma?" His gaze was probably too intense for the quiet man as he nodded quickly, pulling the collar of his hoodie up slightly over his chin.

"He'd just saying that so as not to break your tiny heart." Yaku shot him a playful grin, and Kuroo glared back at him with a trace of a smirk on his lips.

He heard a snort across the table, and Lev looked away quickly as Yaku turned to look at him. He guessed he was one of those types to laugh at almost everything. Still, it was better than someone who didn't laugh at your jokes and made everything awkward.

A waitress came and took their orders. Yaku ordered a black coffee, because he was exhausted almost all the time, and coffee as bitter as his soul was basically the only thing that kept him alive. The tall man sitting across from him seemed to stare at him in horror as he spoke, before snapping out of it to order one of those fruity ice-smoothies. 

"So," he said, once the girl had retreated to make their orders, "are you not going to go to the police or something about it? 'Cos you know that kinda thing is illegal." 

Lev's eyes floated up to the corner of his peripheral vision and he squinted slightly, before widening his eyes, mouth forming a small 'o' shape. "Oh, you mean about being drugged?"

Yaku started at him dead on, wondering how on earth it had taken him so long to catch on. "No, I mean about you ordering a smoothie." he deadpanned. "Yes, about being drugged."

He felt a kick in the shin under the table, and he looked up to the source (Kuroo was the only one with the nerve) who was giving him a look that said _'too much too soon, asshole.'_   Right. Before Lev could open his mouth to answer, he spoke up first.

"I'm sorry." he said. "That was really impolite of me." 

Lev quirked an eyebrow. "Oh, it's okay. I'm used to it by now because I usually ask a lot of stupid questions. Kenma's really mean to me as it is." he grinned over at the blonde.

Yaku watched as Kenma's eyes widened and he glared at Lev without saying anything. 

"Besides." the tall half-Russian continued. "I'm not that bothered to, and even so, I'm not sure who the guy was."

"That's easy." Kuroo butted in with a sly grin. "I'm guessing you just have to look for the guy with the banged up knuckles." 

Yaku rolled his eyes, but his roommate had already reeled Lev in, and there was no returning now.

"Why do you mean?"

"I'm pretty sure Yaku got into a fight with him on Friday night. Why do you think he looks so shit? Well, less shit than usual–"

He was cut off by Lev slamming his hands down on the table, causing everything to shake, and staring at Yaku in awe.

"Did you really?!"

Yaku really didn't like being the centre of this kind of attention, especially because it wasn't one of his proudest moments. He had been angry and drunk, and it certainly wasn't something to be bragging about. But Lev looked really expectant, kind of like a (fairly giant) dog waiting to be taken out for a walk, and so he gave in. 

"Yeah, I guess." he said, just as the waitress came with their drinks, setting down each of their orders in front of them. He said thank you and picked up his coffee, sipping at it, not even flinching at how sour it was, nor how it burned his tongue. No, he was already too far gone for that. "It wasn't as heroic as he's making it out to be, though."

"That's still so cool!" Lev said in awe, eyes still wide. "Especially because you're so small, like I would have thought..."

He was still talking, but Yaku had already stopped listening, clenching his teeth, neck and face burning red. He wouldn't snap this time, especially because the silver-haired man didn't know. It was easy for someone like _Lev_  to pass a comment about his height, especially because he probably didn't understand the struggle of being 5'5" as a grown man, the same height as most teenaged girls. So of _course_ it was a touchy subject with him. Kuroo was shooting him a weary look, and it seemed as though Lev had finally noticed something was up, trailing off mid-sentance.

"What? Is something wrong?"

"Ah..." Kuroo began, when it was clear that Yaku wasn't going to, due to over-embarrassment. "Height is kind of a... taboo... subject with Yaku." 

"What?" Lev cocked his head. "It's not really a big deal to be short! I get made fun of all the time for being tall, but it doesn't bother me!"

Christ, this guy really was ignorant. Yaku hadn't minded him, but he was starting to really get on his nerves. Beside him, Kenma was burying his face in his hands, accurately expressing how Yaku was feeling on the inside. Kuroo reluctantly placed a hand on Lev's shoulder.

"Listen, man, it's better to just not mention it."

Lev looked between the message Kuroo was trying to send him with his eyes, and the increasingly red shade of Yaku's face, and it seemed to suddenly click that he wasn't saying the right thing.

"Oh gosh, I'm really sorry, Yaku-san–" he half-stood up, hands jutting out in front of him, and what happened next seemed to happen in slow motion.

In just a few seconds, Lev's freakishly large hands knocked on his smoothie glass, sending it sliding across the table. It wobbled for a moment, before tipping over, knocking Yaku's steaming-hot coffee cup in the process, sending the contents of both containers cascading right down onto his lap.

Time seemed to stop as searing hot pain shot through his legs and his crotch. Kuroo and Lev both hopped up, leaning over the table in shock, and he was pretty sure Kenma just slid out of the booth to avoid getting wet. Yaku was the last to react, hissing a long string of curses that couldn't even express the pain he was in, as even though the coffee was mingled with the cold smoothie, it was still pretty fucking hot.

Kuroo, who was a quick thinker, grabbed a water jug from an empty table next to them and dumped it right on his lap, drenching him and the seat in one go. All of the staff and most of the customers were staring at them in horror, and Kuroo raised a hand in apology.

"Really sorry. You know how third degree burns can be."

Yaku only closed his eyes and hoped that this was maybe a dream. Maybe, just _maybe_ , he wasn't sitting in a coffee shop that they were _probably about to be kicked out of,_ withsoaking wet pants and a whole building of people staring at the back of his head.

When he opened his eyes, he found that nope, they were still there. Kenma looked as though he hated being stared at too, as he was fidgeting with the collar of his hoodie again, this time using it to cover half of his face. Yaku wished he had a hoodie too. Kuroo had gone to pay and sheepishly apologise to the owner in person for practically destroying the velvet seats, and Lev was just staring as him, still half-standing, eyes wide and face flushed. Once they made eye contact, he sank down into his _dry_ seat and let out an exasperated sigh.

"I am _so_ sorry about that, Yaku-san. I'm so clumsy, I really should have watched where my hands were going." he said, although it was kind of half-ass, as if he knew he wasn't going to be able to fix it.

"Forget it." he said testily, because even though he felt like leaping across the table and strangling the man in front of him, he didn't really fancy starting another fight. "I have to get back anyway."  

"Okay." Lev sighed, and Yaku didn't know why he looked so down, when _he_ wasn't the one with piping hot coffee in all of his crevices. 

Gathering his things, he waited for Kuroo to finish apologising to the manager and paying extra for the trouble, and then to say goodbye to Kenma, before leaving. He didn't know why Kuroo was the one taking the blame, when it was Lev's fault in the first place. It was _him_ that should have been paying, not his friend.

And now he would have to walk back to campus with a huge wet stain on his pants. Great.

 

* * *

 

Monday morning brought rain, a sore throat and runny nose, and his first Women's Studies class of the week. He didn't mind getting up to go, as they were only about an hour long. They met on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and of course he had other classes today too, along with the dreaded exam he'd been studying for all weekend, but this one stood out in his mind, for obvious reasons. In other words, he would have to see Lev again.

He had all of his Friday night back together, but at the cost of getting hot coffee dumped on his crotch. It was something that would definitey happen to him. It was quite clear that Lev was trouble, even if he didn't mean to be. He seemed to be the innocent destructive type, and that was not what Yaku needed while trying to get through college.

Not that Lev considered what he needed. He approached Yaku again just before class. He had been chatting away to Kiyoko about what she got up to over the weekend, when suddenly a shadow fell over him, and Kiyoko did what could have been a double take. Someone had sat down in the row in front of theirs– in the seat in front of Yaku's– and was now staring at them. He gave Kiyoko a look, and slowly turned around to Lev, who was just looking at him, and seemed to have forgotten what he was going to say.

"Can I help you, Lev?" Yaku said, expression neutral.

"Ah. I just thought I'd apologise again for the other day." he was leaning way too far over his own seat and into Yaku's isle, and he clearly had no sense of personal space.

"You already apologised." Yaku sighed. "I said don't worry about it." 

He glanced over at Shimizu, who was now talking to someone else. He was glad of that, because he didn't want anyone overhearing his conversation. Some people could have thought it was weird that he was out with a first year, even if Yaku had only signed up for this specific class this year, so it was understandable.

"I _know_ , but you seem a little angry still, and I wanted to make up for it." Lev pouted. "It also counts for saving my butt on Friday. I never got to thank you properly for that either. So you _have_ to let me!"

His tone was triumphant, and Yaku rolled his eyes. 

"Well, go ahead and thank me or whatever, before the professor comes in." 

" _No_ , like I meant that I should _do_ something for you. That's what people always say, right?"

"Right." Yaku deadpanned. "Well I'll tell you what. I'll think of something, and get back to you when I need a favour. Sound good?"

He wasn't getting back to him. Yaku was tired and cold and probably coming down with something, and it was way too early to be dealing with this today. He said what he had to just to make Lev go away. He almost felt bad when the taller man's eyes brightened, and he nodded enthusiastically.

"That's a good idea, because my mind was completely blank, just there. Oh– should I give you my email incase you come up with something?"

Email? What was this, the nineties? Yaku cringed and held his hands up, waving them a little.

"No, no, it's okay, you don't have to–"

But Lev was already ripping a page out of his notebook, scribbling something down onto it and then thrusting it into his face. He gave Yaku a bright smile, and okay, he felt a _little_ bad, so he took it. Maybe he could get Lev to buy him a sandwich or something small like that.

As the professor walked in and started to set up, Lev waved a little goodbye and turned around in his seat. And Yaku encountered a problem. Tapping the Russian on the shoulder he hissed

"I can't see over your fat head when you're sitting there."

Lev's face was a little pink and a little sheepish when he apologised, glancing around for a different seat. He ended up choosing one on the end of the isle, well away from Yaku and their shortlived interaction. Yaku shoved the piece of paper into his trouser pocket, wiping his mind blank of it. 

 

While Monday brought him an email address from Lev (who clearly doesn't know how to give out a phone number), Tuesday brought him collapsing at volleyball practise, and Wednesday brought him a fever so bad he couldn't even get out of bed.

Kuroo was the one to cart him home after practice on Tuesday, and aparently he was boiling up. Yaku had protested that he felt _fine_ up until he tried to walk by himself and nearly passed out by a potted plant in the hallway. 

"Jesus christ, how did you not feel this coming on beforehand?" Kuroo laughed sharply in disbelief as he helped Yaku get his shoes off at the door. He was a good friend like that.

"I procrastinate illnesses." Yaku mumbled. He was sweating, but at the same time he wanted nothing more than to be curled up in his bedsheets.

"You sure do." Kuroo mumbled. "Okay get to bed before you faint again."

"No." Yaku brushed him off, pushing by him. "I have a class later."

"You can miss it. I won't have you puking in class. You can get the notes when you're better." 

It was an awful day of either stripping all of his clothes off in a sweat, or layering blanket upon blanket on top of himself to keep warm. He'd tried to eat some toast, but his stomach had rejected it, and he felt like he was being stabbed in the head. Kuroo had classes, so every once in a while he popped back in to check on him, aka, stuck his head around the door briefly to check if he was still breathing.

When he'd woken up on Wednesday morning to an even worse headache, he cursed all divinities for targeting him. It was a nuisance that he had to miss more class, especially because now he would have to find notes from every single one. The day would have been torture, if Kuroo hadn't arrived back to the dorm at lunch time, Bokuto and Akaashi following in his wake. The three of them were wearing masks over their mouths and noses, and Kuroo tossed one at Yaku as soon as he saw that he was sitting up in bed.

"Good afternoon, Yaku-san." Akaashi nodded, intermingled with Bokuto's "Heyy Yaku!"

"You're up for company, right?" his roommate clarified, as if he could just turn around to tell the other two to go home.

"Please." Yaku groaned, desperate to talk to someone that wasn't via text, or who was constantly walking around their room in his boxers. 

"Alright well we're here out of the kindness of our hearts, so don't get us sick." Kuroo smiled with his eyes shut, as if he was some heavenly being, while Bokuto just cocked his head.

"But you live here. And you also promised us video games." 

"I know I promised you video games." Kuroo mumbled so that it was barely inaudible. "Bro did you bring the extra controller?" 

The white-haired man immediately turned to Akaashi, who was standing with his hands shoved deep into his trouser pockets, and began to bounce on the balls on his feet impatiently.

"Akaashi?"

"Yes, Bokuto-san." Akaashi sighed, before reaching into his satchel and producing an xbox controller. Yaku wouldn't have been surprised if he also had a snack and a juice box in there for him too.

Although it felt like it, Bokuto Koutarou and Akaashi Keiji hadn't always been a part of their lives. Just like he and Kuroo, they'd met Bokuto in their first year of college, and Akaashi, who was a year behind them, in their second. Akaashi was in his Lit class and was aparently a genius from some prestegious prep school, while Bokuto was just some noisy kid that lived down the hall, who's door Yaku had nearly kicked down in heated rage a number of times.

He had almost abandoned Kuroo when he found out that he and Bokuto were friends, spending an increasing amount of time with each other. Kuroo's friendship with Bokuto was different than his one with Yaku. For one, Bokuto didn't lecture him for doing stupid shit. Usually, Bokuto was the one dragging _Kuroo_ into stupid shit. It was as though Kuroo needed permission to be a dumb fuck, and Bokuto was the one who gave him permission. But they balanced each other out well. And although Yaku didn't really agree with the white-haired man's morals, he did agree that he was fun to be around at times.

And then there was Akaashi. Sweet, quiet, generally uninterested Akaashi. How such a polite, stoic young man had managed to get sucked into Bokuto's antics, Yaku did not know. He'd started out as someone nice who often lent him pens in class, but when he'd first heard Bokuto using his name in a sentance he nearly went on a killing spree. He'd felt it was his responsibility not to let someone so responsible become corrupt because of some raging mess of an owl. That was over a year ago though, and after a while it began to appear that it wasn't Bokuto corrupting Akaashi, but rather Akaashi taming Bokuto. He had the patience of a saint, tolerating tantrums, coaxing the other out of sulking, carrying video game controllers in his bag. Yaku admired him in so many ways, especially because Akaashi seemed to think it was common courtesy to do these things, not just an unholy tolerance for the bad behaviour of 20 year old children.

Although it physically pained Yaku to laugh, he found himself chuckling once in a while, watching the three play _Call Of Duty_ from his bed. Bokuto seemed to think he was the shit, spouting out random slang words to do with the game, occasionally shouting at the screen, but Yaku had seen him play before, and knew for a fact that he was bad, and that Akaashi was the real master of the game, quietly but surely kicking both of their asses.

Now that Yaku was observing from the sidelines, he could notice everything that he maybe hadn't seen before. A few weeks ago, when he'd found out from Kuroo that Bokuto and Akaashi were an item now, he had been disapproving, almost like an overprotective dad from a chick flick movie. But watching how they would both occasionally steal looks at the other when they weren't watching– Akaashi's faint blushes and Bokuto's repressed giddy smiles– it was almost heart warming. He felt a little content, knowing that his friends had found love with each other, even if they hadn't yet said that word to each other.

When they all finally had to leave for classes, Yaku finally deflated, pulling his laptop onto his lap. He'd already had a lengthy conversation with his mother over the phone, assuring her time and time again that no, he didn't need her to send him a care basket, and _no_ , she didn't have to drive across Tokyo to visit him. He could probably get some of an essay done now that he could sit up, and then he could watch netlfix for a few hours. But first he had to get the notes situation down. He had a list of contacts for at least one person in each class, and composed one general email to send to all of them. It was formal and efficient, nothing short of what people would expect from him, and over the next hour his inbox was flooding with replies and attatched photos of notes. He hit a curb when he opened the email from Kiyoko.

 

_Hello, Yaku-san._

_I apologise, but I was not in Women's Studies today, as I have been sick for the past day or two, and do not have any notes. Perhaps you could ask someone else?_

_Apologies again,_

_Shimizu Kiyoko._

 

Huh. There must have been something going around. He wasn't absolutely devastated, but he was mildly inconvenienced, as even though it didn't effect him in short-term, he couldn't miss any of the lessons if he wanted to pass the class. He racked his brains to think of anyone else from his class that he could contact, but although he talked to many, he didn't have any emails or phone numbers. 

Feeling another headache coming on, but being too lazy to go get another painkiller, he placed his laptop to the side, and lay down, closing his eyes. He was just resting them. Although his body was physically giving up on him, his mind was still as active as ever as it was only the late afternoon. His thoughts began to wander, and he thought about the aspects of his life. He wondered if he should call his sister, to see what she was doing. Mai was in Paris at the moment, after being accepted into some designing academy. Yaku was glad for her, he really was, because the 22 year old had always been obsessed with european culture growing up, ogling at the fashion and the food. She always visited home on holidays, and constantly tried to convince him and their mother that the experience was living up to her expectations, but Yaku knew that once she romanticised something, they never quite did.

The trail of thought led up to wondering how his mother was doing, other than worrying about him obsessively, as mothers did. The house must be quiet with her two children gone, even though it had been like that for around 3 years now, ever since Yaku had left for college. His mother Masami had constantly called him 3 times a day for about 4 weeks until she found her niche and began to get out and meet new people. As far as he knew, her new hobbies included going for lunches and other events with her newfound friends from her book club, which Yaku was glad about, considering how hard she had worked for he and Mai to be able to afford a university education. 

He thought about Kuroo, and how desperate he probably seemed to Kenma. He thought about the incident from Sunday again, when Lev had–

Oh. Then it struck him. He still had Lev's email, didn't he? He hopped out of bed, ignoring the immediate dizzying rush to his skull that almost sent him toppling over. Once he located his pants from Monday (which thankfully he hadn't washed yet), he rummaged around in the pocket until his fingertips reached a small, crumpled piece of paper. He pulled it out, holding it up to the light as if he was an explorer who'd just discovered a treasure map. 

He sat down again and pulled the laptop onto his lap, immediately going to compose a new email. He entered the address (did that say... _lovelev99_?) and began to type.

 

_Hi Lev._

_It's Yaku Morisuke. I've figured out what favour you can do for me. I need notes for WS class because I was out sick today. If you have them could you please send them, or find someone else to send them? Much appreciated._

_Regards,_

_Yaku._

 

The response wasn't immediate, but it wasn't too delayed either. Yaku wasn't surprised by the content.

 

_ahh yaku-san!! i was waiting for you to request something! aww how are you feeling?:( is it that bug thats going around? anyway, i have the notes here, but the spelling might be a little bad. ill send you them anyway, but tell me if they're not okay!_

 

The way of typing was certainly unique. Attached were several photos of sloppily-taken notes, but they were still decipherable, and so they would have to suffice. He quickly wrote out a reply.

 

_No, these are fine, thank you. And yeah, I think it could be a bug, but thanks for your worry! Also, if you don't mind me asking, why do you email instead of text? Or is it just me you give your email address to?_

 

He wondered if this was too cheeky for a new acquaintance, but sent it anyway. This time, the response _was_ immediate.

 

_ah. that. long story short, i dropped my phone in the bath, so its being repaired atm. i promise ill give you my number as soon as i get it back, if youre that enthusiastic about it! :)_

 

 _Why that little–_ Yaku radiated heat. Did he really sound desperate to Lev? He hadn't intended it to come across as _that_ way, and his face burned in embarrassment as he typed back a snappy reply.

 

_Don't bother, it's fine. Thanks for the notes._

 

_no problem! get well soon yaku-san!! :)_

 

Lev sounded almost sincere, and it was irritating. Here Yaku was, trying to be pissed off at the gigantic man, but it was pretty difficult when said giant man thought that it was just his personality. Okay, well maybe it was _partially_ his personality, but most of his friends never had to experience that side. Why couldn't Lev be more like them?

He huffed and exited out of the window, saving his essay document and closing that too. Netflix was waiting for him, and he didn't want to waste another moment of his time.

 

 

**Author's Note:**

> Okay, I know this was a short chapter, but I'm going to do my best to write more in future chapters, as a challenge to myself. I'd like the finished product to be at least 100k words. I've been thinking about doing this AU for months, and I finally just got around to it recently. I know this AU must be so tired by now, however it brings me so much joy, and I just couldn't help myself!  
> Come talk to me @kagseyamas on twitter and @gaifu on tumblr if you have any questions, suggestions, or just want to chat!


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